Dayton Dragons: The history of a precious hometown club

It's been 16 years because the Dayton Dragons started its historical perform at Fifth Third Field. Because time, a record-setting string of offered out crowds have actually enjoyed future stars such as Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns and Joey Votto develop their craft.

​Here's a quick history of Dayton's cherished group, which plays its very first house video game of the season versus the South Bend Cubs on Sunday, April 12.

Founding of the Dayton Dragns

House of the Dayton Dragons: The Class-A Minor League Baseball group associated with the Cincinnati Reds plays its house video games at Fifth Third Field, 220 N. Patterson Blvd., Dayton, which opened on April 27, 2000.

Getting visual: "In 2003, we set up 240 feet of LED, which was a marketing and home entertainment development that has actually now been copied by numerous other sports homes," executive vice president Eric Deutsch stated. We will constantly look to enhance and reinvest in Fifth Third Field and in our area."

Call video game: Before transferring to Dayton, the franchise was based in Rockford, Ill., where it was called the Reds (1999 ), the Cubbies (1995-98), the Royals (1993-94) and the Expos (1988-92).

Ownership: Palisades Arcadia Baseball acquired the Dragons from Mandalay Baseball Properties, LLC. "The regional management group has actually done an excellent task with the franchise," Nick Sakellariadis stated on behalf of the brand-new ownership group.

Previous coaches: Freddie Benavides, the Dayton Dragons' very first supervisor, is now an infield coach for the Reds. Delino DeShields, the Dragons supervisor in 2011 and 2012, is the existing supervisor with the AAA group in Louisville.

The major leagues: To date, 69 previous Dragons have actually gone to the Major Leagues, consisting of existing Reds Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Zack Cozart and Billy Hamilton.

Ringing recommendation: Votto, who played with the Dragons in 2003 and 2004, likewise did injury rehabilitation stints in Dayton in 2009 and 2012. "Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio is one of the most unique locations for baseball in all the small leagues and perhaps even all of expert baseball," Votto has actually stated.

Hot ticket: The 1,051 video games leading into the brand-new Dragons season have actually offered out, which is the longest streak in pro sports history. Season tickets are gone however restricted single video game tickets are readily available.